Brave Israeli Refusers Need Your Help, NOW

Support the young Israeli Jewish women who Refuse to Serve in Israel’s Occupation Forces & be part of the Criminal Majority

Please read this message from Tair Kaminer, who spent 159 days in jail for publicly refusing to enlist.

Tair went to prison about 6 times, for renewable periods of about 28 days, because she refused to serve in the Israeli Occupation Forces.

Imagine how difficult it must have been for her. Not simply in spending over 5 months in prison, but in the ostracism and abuse she received from fellow Israelis who glory in the abuse and racism directed at Palestinians.

Taminer would have been considered a ‘traitor’ and worse by the chauvinists and bigots in the Israeli Jewish community and in the prison structure itself. Yet despite this she and now two other Israeli Jewish women, who are also currently serving prison sentences have stuck to their principles. Another Israeli Jew, Atalia Ben Aba will join them in February.

If you are thinking of a good cause to donate to in the New Year then there is no better cause to give to than supporting young Israeli Jews who refuse to be a part of the criminal majority in Israel. Please make a donation, however large or small.

At nineteen, I decided that I would rather sit in prison than serve in the Israeli army. You may know how the army and its soldiers are portrayed here in Israel. They are called heroes when in reality, their actions help prop up the occupation and oppression of Palestinians.

The public campaign my supporters initiated drew attention from around the world. The support I received from Refuser Solidarity Network in the U.S. meant that the media in Israel and internationally were reporting that a young Israeli woman was refusing to serve in an army that violates international law. The world knows now that Israelis would prefer to defy the government and military by sitting in prison than going along.

I sat in jail for close to six months. But then, the army gave in. They discharged me because the campaign on my behalf gave them negative public attention. Pressure works. Thanks to our work, the army and the government know there is resistance to their actions.

Now, two other young women are beginning their third term in military prison. Tamar and Tamar have decided that a peaceful future is too important to risk the alternative by staying silent. Atalia Ben Aba will join them in February.